Fall: A Time for Family
Posted
by
WinterKids
on Friday, October 10, 2014
Fall is such an amazing time of year. The leaves are changing colors and the air is cooler. Nonetheless, fall can also be a very frenzied time between the kids being back in school and having to balance each family member’s daily routines and schedules.
Getting into the ideal fall routine can be tough and it may be extremely difficult to squeeze in fun family adventures like you were often able to in the summertime. Fall is a time for family. This fall, we encourage you to everything in your power to make time for your family and we know you will not be disappointed. Here are ways to make more time for your family this fall.
Don't Over Schedule
Although after-school activities are great for kids, too many can weigh them down and limit them from getting to spend quality time with family. Activities help them learn new skills and values, and family gives them a sense of who they are as an individual. Both are needed to obtain a healthy balance in your child’s life. Try to limit your kid’s after-school activities to one or two. Get your child involved in the decision making process of which after-school activities to take on and which one they can drop or can do without for the time-being.
 Make Yourself Available
You also have to limit yourself. When you’re not around, you can’t be there for your children. If work friends invite you out for happy hour or your neighbor has invited you to join her Thursday evening book club, it’s OK to participate on occasion, but don’t make evening outings a frequent occurrence. If your kids have to give up activities, so do you.
No-Tech Tuesday
You've heard the term – now make it a reality! It doesn't have to be on a Tuesday, per se, but pick a day during the week or even multiple days per week to completely prohibit technology. That’s right! Both you, as the parent, and your kids have to stay away from phones, TVs and computers for one whole night! That means no Amazing Race, no e-mails, no Facebook, no Twitter, no Angry Birds or Candy Crush apps on your iPhone. By barring technology for the night, you are allowing more time for homework, reading, playing and good old fashioned face-to-face interaction.
Family Dinnertime
 Make meals a time for your family. Enlist the kids help in cooking or give them jobs like setting the table or helping with dishes. Make dinner prep fun by playing silly music or a fun game – each kid gets a gold star for each task they complete. When dinner is all ready and everyone has sat down to eat, take turns going around the table and talking about each family member’s day. Each person has to say one thing they didn't like about their day, followed by three things that made their day more enjoyable.
Weekend Festivities
 Plan a family weekend extravaganza. Start out on Friday night with a “date night” with the kids and bring them out to their favorite restaurant. Or instead, surprise them with a take-out pizza and a Redbox movie, or a game of scrabble. On Saturday, choose some fun-filled fall activities such as apple-picking, a trip to the pumpkin patch or local corn maze and hayride. Sunday, if it’s not too cold, take a bike ride out to brunch with the kids. You can even invite the grandparents – they’d love it!
How do you make more time for your family? Let us know in the comments below!
Categories:
Family Fun
Tagged: Family Fun, Fall Activities, family activities, autumn, family, families
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